- Christian Watson leads the Green Bay Packers despite a hospital trip: Watson missed a quarter of the game getting examined for a chest injury, but still managed over 100 yards.
- Josh Jacobs scores twice in a larger role: The Packers' run game still hasn’t been effective this season, but Jacobs took a higher percentage of the snaps and scored twice.
- Chuba Hubbard is the only source of offense for the Carolina Panthers: Hubbard dominated snaps and touches for Carolina, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Packers' offense.
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Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs takes a larger role: Jacobs was the clear lead back for Green Bay in his second game.
Jacobs spent the first six weeks of the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. Last week, he only played 52.2% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps, taking half of the normal early-down snaps and just over half of the third-down and short-yardage snaps. MarShawn Lloyd was the primary person he rotated with, while Pierre Strong Jr. also handled a few snaps. Jacobs' role was reminiscent of games late last season when he played through injury.
This week, Jacobs was used in a more featured role. He played every snap on the first, second, fourth and fifth drives. Lloyd got the third possession, and Strong was on the field for the two-minute drill to end the half. The Packers were ahead by multiple scores in the second half, leading them to rotate their running backs a little more often. This was still a notable increase for Jacobs and was more similar to his workload when he was at full health last season.
Jacobs was already someone who should be in all fantasy starting lineups this week, and this elevated role makes it even safer to keep him in lineups. While Lloyd’s new timeshare makes it impossible to trust him in fantasy starting lineups, it’s still worth holding onto him in most leagues. The league is still investigating Jacobs, and he could be suspended. If that happens, Lloyd will be back in the starting lineup for Green Bay.
Christian Watson returns despite a trip to the hospital: Watson was taken to the hospital with a chest injury late in the second quarter and was back late in the third quarter.
Watson and Matthew Golden have been the primary wide receivers for Green Bay this season. Jayden Reed and Skyy Moore have seen significant time in the slot, but both are now on injured reserve. Savion Williams has taken over as the slot receiver in recent games, and that’s exactly how Green Bay used its wide receivers for the first few drives prior to Watson’s injury.
Rather than turning ot one wide receiver as a direct replacement for Watson, it was Bo Melton and J. Michael Sturdivant who rotated as the other outside receiver. Golden took a few plays off after making a catch at times, which left both Melton and Sturdivant on the field. Williams' role was unchanged after the injury. That likely means if Watson or Golden miss games due to injury at any point this season, there won’t be a clear waiver-wire target; instead, it will be a committee stepping up. However, if anyone has the most upside of the group, it’s Sturdivant.
Reports early in the third quarter said Watson cleared his tests at the hospital and returned to the stadium. The Packers only ruled him questionable and said there was a chance he could return. He re-entered the game but was rotated out more than he usually would be. The fact that he returned to this game means it’s a safe bet he will be ready for the Packers' next game, particularly with extended time off, given this was a Thursday night showdown.
Tommy Tremble takes on a larger workload: Tremble was on the field more often than usual, but wasn’t necessarily running more routes.
The Panthers have spent all season with a three-man right end rotation. Tremble has averaged 54.9% of snaps on the season leading into the week, with Mitchell Evans playing 48.2% and Darren Waller 45.8%. Tremble and Evans typically play in 12 personnel, Waller on third downs and all three rotate in 11 personnel on early downs. Waller has typically had more fantasy value because he runs more routes and scores touchdowns.
Tremble had a big Week 5, catching four passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Tremble oddly played less than usual a week ago. He was on the field a little more often on third down, but Waller replaced him more regularly in 12 personnel.
The good news is Tremble was on the field more this week. He was back to dominating 12 personnel snaps and was on the field in 11 personnel on early downs at a higher rate than in any other game this season. Unfortunately, Tremble didn't play on third downs. This meant Waller was still running more routes than Tremble.
Waller seemed like a player on the rise after the first four weeks, but he has only caught one pass over the past three. It still wouldn’t be surprising if Tremble sees more time as the season goes on, but for now, it’s impossible to trust any tight end in the Panthers' rotation.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Packers running back Kaleb Johnson was a healthy inactive, his second straight absence. He will likely remain inactive as long as the other Packers running backs are healthy, and he could be in danger of getting released if the Packers need more players at other positions.
- Green Bay wide receiver Matthew Golden didn't practice on Monday and Tuesday with shoulder and foot injuries but was limited in practice on Wednesday. He was questionable, but played close to his normal workload of snaps.
- Packers backup tight end Josh Whyle left the game early with a concussion. This left Mark Redman with a larger role than usual, playing 100% of 12 personnel snaps after the injury, and also any 11 personnel snaps where Tucker Kraft needed a break.
- Packers tight end Jonnu Smith was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. He was targeted six times over the first three weeks, he he’s only been targeted twice in the last four games.
- The Panthers continue to use Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker as every-down receivers, John Metchie III playing in 11 personnel and Brycen Tremayne in 13 personnel and a few 11 personnel snaps. Xavier Legette is eligible to return from injured reserve, but there have been no reports on when he may return.
- Carolina running back AJ Dillon was held out as a healthy scratch, his third straight absence.
Defense Notes
- The Panthers still have Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve, while Akayleb Evans was out this week with a triceps and knee injury. Carolina started the game with fourth-round rookie Will Lee III and practice squad call-up Marco Wilson as the outside cornerbacks, and safety Tre’von Moehrig in the slot. Lee suffered a hamstring injury late in the second quarter, leading slot cornerback and safety Chau Smith-Wade to take over as an outside cornerback for the rest of the game.
- Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd played less than usual a week ago due to the Panthers' big second-half deficit, but he was back to playing all of the snaps for Carolina’s defense this week.
- Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper both played over 90% of the Packers' defensive snaps as their two linebackers for a second straight week.
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, such as offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats exclude these plays.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy is a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may credit the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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